2021 NRL Round 21, Raiders 20 – Dragons 12 Report

Craig Cauchi reviews the Raiders encounter with the Dragons. Here’s how the game went.

SCOREBOARD

Player of the Year Points

3 pts – Joseph Tapine (Raiders)
2 pts – Jack De Belin (Dragons)
1 pt – Jack Wighton (Raiders)

MATCH REPORT

1st Half

The opening period saw some brutal collisions from both sides with Cody Ramsey injured inside the first minute from a head clash. The first opportunity went to the Dragons after Josh Papalii lost control of the ball. They were awarded a six again and from a quick play the ball, Corey Norman exploited the numbers out wide finding an unmarked Mathew Feagai to score the first try. A penalty against Jordan Rapana for leading with the knee gave Zac Lomax the chance to kick over an easy penalty goal. A strong tackle from Joseph Tapine forced a mistake from the Dragons and gave the Raiders their first opportunity for the night. They used every play and when the kick from Whitehead looked too long, Harley Smith-Shields knocked it back in field for Jordan Rapana to score. The Raiders started building momentum through the middle third but against the run of play, Adam Clune split the Raiders defenders and passed off for Tariq Sims to slide over the try line. But the Raiders refused to surrender with Jack Wighton plucking Sam Williams’ kick out of the air to lock the scores up heading into the break.

HALF-TIME: Canberra Raiders 12 St George Illawarra Dragons 12

2nd Half

The second half started perfectly for the green machine with the Raiders hitting the lead for the first time through a try to Tom Starling. The Dragons had plenty of opportunities to bring the scores back level but desperate defence kept turning them away. After absorbing all that defence it looked like the Raiders had marched down field and scored the match sealer to Josh Papalii but the bunker overruled the call. Sam Williams booted a crucial 40/20 and inside the first few tackles, a head high penalty allowed Jarrod Croker to extend the Raiders to an 8 point lead that wouldn’t be challenged.

FULL-TIME: Canberra Raiders 20 St George Illawarra Dragons 12

Injuries

Cody Ramsey (Dragons) – failed HIA

Match Review Committee

Jordan Rapana (Raiders) – Grade 1 Dangerous Tackle Head/Neck – Early Guilty Plea $1,350 fine, Guilty at Judiciary $1,800 fine.
Tariq Sims (Dragons) – Grade 1 High Tackle Careless – Early Guilty Plea 1 match ban, Guilty at Judiciary 2 match ban.
Zac Lomax (Dragons) – Grade 1 High Tackle Careless – Early Guilty Plea $1,150 fine, Guilty at Judiciary $1,500 fine.

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